CBR in my opinion i have owned a gsxr 600 and now own a cbr954rr, both are really good bikes, but so far the cbr has required way less maintenance not saying that it's a better bike just saying i have had better luck with the CBR, I would definately suggest starting with a used bike though, because no matter how carefull you are with a new bike things WILL happen, more bikes are dropped in parking lots everyday than you can imagine not necessarily from unskilled riders just from the fact of the weight of the bike and once the weight shifts wrong there is no stopping it. At least with a used bike you dont have to worry as much of scratching it and you can always find cheap replacement parts on ebay. versus a new bike fairing costing hundreds. You can find an excellent condition low mileage 600 for 3800 and up depending on the year model, and even the older bikes from 1999+ are just about as quick as the new bikes just a little heavier.. And i know everyone always tells you to start with a smaller bike but i am one of the ones who disagree, its more to do with how responsible you can be with the power at hand, the bike no matter what size only goes as fast as you make it go, people can get hurt just as bad on a 250 as a 1000cc, just get the bike that makes you happy and learn to ride it at your own pace.